Latino Daily News

Pemex Begins Constructing Tugboat at Mexican Shipyard

Mexican state-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos announced the start of construction of a tugboat at the Pacific port of Mazatlan, part of its program to modernize its minor fleet.

The keel-laying for the first of two tugboats to be built at the SENI shipyard in Mazatlan, each 31.5 meters (103 feet) in length with an 11.2-meter beam and capable of reaching a speed of 12 knots, took place on Thursday, Pemex said in a statement.

The ships will be equipped to conduct maritime and port operations, provide tow services, fight fires and facilitate ship maintenance and rescue work, the company added.

The design of the tugboat “aims to achieve maximum effectiveness in its operations with maximum simplicity of handling, so it can be manned by a minimum number of crew.”

The tugboat is one of 22 ships to be built by the Mexican navy as part of an agreement signed in July 2013 for the renewal of ships in Pemex’s minor fleet that are mainly used to transport hydrocarbons and their derivatives.

The ships, which will be built in the states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Oaxaca, Baja California and Sinaloa at a total investment cost of 3.4 billion pesos ($261 million), also include barges, lighters and specialized multi-purpose vessels.